Reviving the Hive: A Journey of Art, Activism, and Education with the Beehive Collective

September 7, 2024 - 3:00pm

Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion
Carnegie Mellon University, Cohon University Center, Lower Level
5032 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The Beehive Design Collective, an all-volunteer activist arts collective, is buzzing back to CMU on September 7. Known for their multidisciplinary work, they create collaborative, anti-copyright images that serve as powerful educational and organizing tools. Their mission? To use art as a catalyst for social change, community engagement, and education about shared histories of struggle.

After an inspiring visit in 2008, the Bees are returning to CMU with two impactful projects – Mesoamérica Resiste and The True Cost of Coal. These projects document resistance to resource extraction and celebrate stories of struggle from mountain communities. Mesoamérica Resiste is a deep dive into the fight against resource extraction and free trade in Central America, highlighting stories of cross-border social movements led by Indigenous peoples. The True Cost of Coal uses the lens of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia to understand the historical and contemporary story of energy and resource extraction. It features a portable mural teeming with intricate images of plants and animals from the most biodiverse temperate forest on the planet.

The Bees are not just about creating graphics; they’re about fostering social relationships based on solidarity and reaching out to a new generation of activists. They provide training to activists and educators across the U.S. on how to use their graphics as popular education tools and weave a larger narrative about the global fight against an economy based on colonialism, land grabs, and exploitation.

Their work resonates with the core themes of the Hospitality Initiative and mirrors CAS’s commitment to experimental community projects and public-facing initiatives. Their presentation promises to be a springboard for new collaborations, discussions, and creative projects within the CAS community.

Join us for a dynamic and impactful journey of art, activism, and education. Let’s cross-pollinate the grassroots with the Bees!

This event is hosted co-sponsored by the Center for the Arts in Society, the Department of Languages, Culture & Applied Linguistics (LCAL), the Global Studies program, The Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, and the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion. This partnership promises to be a powerful exploration of global issues that resonate deeply with the Center’s mission.